Hotel Estrella — Hotel in San Juan del Sur (Municipio)

I travelled from frigid Canada to Costa Rica expecting to be there many weeks or months. On the plane a solo woman traveller beside me was landing in Liberia, Costa Rica to take the "chicken bus" (local $6 vs $60 high end bus) to her property in Nicaragua (!). Traveling alone, she was taking the local chicken bus, getting off at the border, crossing on foot and retaking the Nico (Nicaragua) chicken buss to her property. That put Nicaragua back on my radar as a place to visit in my quest for a new Canada. Another solo woman, also from Canada, beside her was making her way down the Costa Rica coast to Tamaringo (called sometimes called Tamagringo). So if anyone thinks these countries aren't safe, talk to people with experience! I loved my stay in Playa Del Coco. I rented a high end Villa with self-catering. As a carnivore/keto guy, I can't deal with restaurant food. Toxic to my body. Some travel tips: Don't try this type of freedom trips with a family in tow, you really need to backpack solo if you want to "go with the flow" and adapt. Second, you need to know the basic Spanish "Los sientos, no habla mucho espanol.." generally works and if it doesn't, well that tells you they might not be friendly and you might want to move on. Most are and will help. From my perspective, this is the best way to learn a new language, immerse yourself into the culture and be ready to adapt or move on. I ended up at Hotel Estrella to deal with an issue on a rented property that had a kitchen. walked by, looked up and took a chance after asking to see the rooms. The Hotel felt like I was in Cuba, wood floors with cracks, shared bathrooms that would get shut down in the West. The bed was the hardest bed I've ever slept on I think! The receptionist was very nice and the view, just across the ocean, was zen. I was on the corner balcony, room 6 so I could get comfortable observing the little tiny coastal town of San Juan del sur go to bed and wake up. It was awesome, I could cook at the location with a kitchen and enjoyed the view at this location. Admiring the statue of Jesus up high on the hill lit up a night, enjoying the natural cooling of the ocean winds. The room has a fan but no AC. The local Nico taxi drivers were amazing in their knowledge and some knew English. I consider some as friends now. With the general population and service staff, you learn real fast or you ensure you have a data plan from home or a local provider to get Google Translate to help you out. That is a must have. I was honestly freaked by how bad the roads were but it was a trip. The hotel had a bakery (panadería) that smelled so yummy, I almost broke down and at least had some bread with my free breakfast but that stuff is toxic to me now. It was an endurance test to see if my commitment to keto/carno would hold but if I want to be pain-free, it's not an option. Nico breakfast (rice, beans, eggs and toast) is a must have if you eat regular stuff. So if you want to get into the culture and can handle backpacking, PLEASE don't book #6 in Hotel Estrella I really don't it booked up when I return. Seriously, the place was great but is missing a shared kitchen with an air frier (frieidora de Aire). For "regular" people, there's restaurants everywhere that need the business. This little modest hotel is not people who want a western Hilton type or who travel with a family in tow at 10x the price. The two Hiltons at the airport have that. The beds are very hard but the rest was awesome. And tip (la propina), these people make a dollar or two per hour so anything is...

Actually I would rate Estrella 4 stars, but the place is so beautiful, the value for money deserves 5 stars. The building is unbelievably stunning, especially the open lobby with direct view of the ocean. The beach is just scross the street.||It looks like a high class hotel but has a hostel vibe with the laid back staff, shared bathrooms and small kitchen. This was no problem for us, we enjoyed the whole package. We had a room with ocean view from the side which was gorgeous.||Everything was super clean.||Only downsides: cold showers and if you wake up easily, it‘s quite loud from 7 in the morning (coffee machine and music). Also we has strong wind which was pounding at the windows and made the kitchen without doors difficult to use (the gas flame would turn off easily). We didn’t mind the rather hard matresses, they were still very comfortable.||If you get the chance, try the...

My wife and I for family reasons come to Nicaragua almost every year. Once in a while we cone to San Juan del Sur and every time we tried to book a room at the Estrella it was booked.. This time we lucked out and booked 4 nights. San Juan was our stop over for a rest and recuperation from the trip from Canada. ||The Estrella was built in the early 1920s. It's been renovated but still retains its colonial architecture and feel. We selected a non air conditioned room overlooking the ocean which was great for the view and the ocean breeze but hot in the late afternoon when the sun arched over the hotel and shinned through our room. No peoblem, the ocean is across the steet with a cool dip waiting for you. Restaurants and shops are all a short walk away. The restaurants serves excellent coffee with a great...